I visited Nike's wild All Conditions Express in Milan, and the attention to detail absolutely blew my mind

The Winter Olympic Games in Milano-Cortina are well underway, an understandably huge event not just for those interested in winter sports but for everyone else in the world, with millions watching from around the globe.

This creates the perfect marketing opportunity for companies to introduce new tech and concepts, and no one has gone quite as hard in 2026 as Nike, which timed the relaunch of its outdoor sub-brand, All Conditions Gear (or ACG for short), to coincide with the massive sporting event.

The company pushed the boat out completely with the "All Conditions Express," a redecorated set of locomotives and carriages that carted people around the Olympic venues between 5 and 8 February.

Some of the dignitaries who visited the train include long-time Nike athlete Eliud Kipchoge and Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner (also a pretty good skier), the latter of whom debuted a custom look created through Nike Atelier for the event.

Orange on the horizon

The company also very kindly extended the invitation to me, even though I didn't know until I got out of the car at the train depot in Milan. Through the gates – all adorned with ACG branding, of course – you could catch a glimpse of the train's striking orange look, a signature colour of the new sub-brand.

Winding our way through a hangar, which housed the "President's Train," the royal train of the House of Savoy, with its beautifully decorated ceilings and wooden exterior, we arrived at the All Conditions Express in a matter of minutes. Its orangeness was almost blinding against the bleak February skies, setting the tone of what’s to come later.

After a short introduction, we were taken to the first of the five carriages called “Basecamp Cafe”, a little cafe-bar with tables and a bar that served coffee, and where one could score ACG greeting cards and stickers. Stepping onto the train, you were immediately greeted with the most meticulously crafted design I’ve seen from the brand.

Everything, from the orange and purple lanterns and wall-mounted shovels to the also orange cargo netting overhead and aluminium storage containers, was ACG branded. According to a Nike spokesperson, they wanted to honour the K2 expedition by Rick Ridgeway and John Roskelley in the 80s that sparked the idea of ACG with the look and feel of the exhibition, and boy, did they succeed!

Back to where ACG began

This is probably as good a time as any to say a few words about Nike ACG. All Conditions Gear is a dedicated outdoor-performance brand for “all athletes who seek the challenge, adventure and connection of thriving in the wild,” the company says. It’s not entirely dissimilar to Adidas Terrex, which carved out its own space almost independently of Adidas.

Nike is keen to push the envelope with ACG, as evidenced by the Radical AirFlow concept. It was announced last summer and features a radically different cooling concept with large holes in a seemingly loose-mesh top. Other notable products include the Lava Loft jacket and the reworked ACG Zegama shoes.

Nike’s big plans to target outdoorsy folks come as no surprise, knowing that in the United States alone, outdoor recreation generated $1.2 trillion in economic output in 2023, supporting 5 million jobs and accounting for roughly 2.3 % of GDP, a notable increase compared with earlier reports showing around $862 billion in 2021. It’s a big market that keeps growing, and Nike certainly wants a slice of this pie.

From basecamp to recovery

Leaving the “Basement Cafe,” we entered the “Seating Car,” a converted first-class carriage with compartments fully redecorated to match the tone of the brand of the aforementioned expedition. Orange camping gear was hanging from the overhead luggage racks, and the walls were covered with topographic maps, illustrations of ibexes, and custom-made headrests.

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Moving on, we arrived at the “Gear Lab,” dedicated to – not surprisingly – ACG’s testing department. You could see Ultrafly trail running shoes mounted on a wheel, racks of Lava Loft jackets, and, for a reason, a miniature train set, imitating the very train we were in, going around in a make-believe mountain area. Very meta.

At this point, I really had to fight the urge not to accidentally knock one of the many trinkets adorning the walls into my bag as a keepsake (I really liked those ACG-branded YETI coolers). Everywhere you looked, there was another detail or item, not to mention the stacks of shoes and jackets I’ve yet to try.

Once I managed to compose myself (and grab a few canapes), I ventured into the last section, the “Recovery Hut.” This was a chillout area with hanging chairs, a corner covered with pouffes and mirrors, and Nike x Hyperice compression boots dangling on hangers.

Just like in the other carriages, the shelves were stacked with ACG goods, including my favourite, the owl ornament in a purple hat and a camera around its neck.

End of the line?

Setting myself down in one of the chairs, I wondered what would happen to all this once the show was over. After all, even I visited the All Condition Express after its official launch window, which made me worried that it would all just disappear into obscurity after the event.

Sadly, no one actually knew the train's future. Some people at Nike said it would be tricky to travel around the continent with it, due to differences in track sizes, which make it almost impossible to move it, even within Italy, let alone Europe.

That said, everyone agreed that it would be a shame if the Express just disappeared into thin air after the Winter Olympic Games. Let’s hope this wasn’t the All Conditions Express's last journey and that it will find its resting place in a museum or at the Nike Archive. One can hope.

You can check out Nike ACG here.